


A Monster of a Mess

by debirlfan



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 00:04:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4981948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debirlfan/pseuds/debirlfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes help comes from unexpected sources.  Written for the Trick or Treat 2015 exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Monster of a Mess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Healy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Healy/gifts).



The voice that called up the stairs echoed with equal parts impatience and annoyance. “What's taking so long? Your bus will be here in a few minutes.” 

“I'm hurrying. Mom!” Emily answered, suppressing a groan as she dug around in the bottom of her closet, desperately searching for her sneakers. Normally, she would just wear something else, but today was gym class. “Damnit, where are you, stupid sneakers?” she muttered under her breath, too quiet for her mother downstairs to hear. 

Emily was twelve, and much to her mother's dismay, something of a slob. Her clean clothes were lucky if they made it onto hangers, and her dirty clothes were more likely to end up piled somewhere in a corner than in the hamper. Emily normally didn't mind the mess, but it did make it hard to find anything when she was in a hurry. Like now.

“Emily!” Her mother's voice had climbed an octave.

“Coming, coming.” Emily kicked a pile of dirty clothes aside, hoping that the sneakers were beneath it and increasingly frustrated when she found that they weren't. 

“They're under the bed.”

Without even thinking about it, Emily dropped to her knees and looked. Sure enough, there were her sneakers. She pulled them out, then sat on the bed to put them on. Suddenly it dawned on her and she stopped, her first shoe half on. “Who said that?”

There was no answer, the room perfectly silent.

“Who said that?” she asked again, more insistently.

“I... I'm not supposed to talk to you.” 

The voice was very low and hesitant, and it came from her closet. Pulling her sneaker on the rest of the way, the second one still in her hand, Emily rose and went to the closet door, peering in. She didn't see anything unusual. “Hello?”

The air shimmered, and a faceless brown blob appeared before her. She stepped back, holding the remaining sneaker up as if it was a weapon. “Who... what are you?”

“Most people would call me a closet monster. I'm what happens when dust bunnies breed unchecked.”

“Huh.” She wasn't sure she wanted to think about what that insinuated about her housekeeping skills.

“Emily! The bus is coming, and I don't intend to drive you to school!” Her mother yelled, voice rising yet again.

Emily glanced toward the stairs, then back toward the closet. “I've got to go, but we're going to talk when I get home.”

The blob moved in what might have been a nod. 

Bending, Emily bent and pulled on her second sneaker. She started toward the stairs.

“Do you mind if I clean up a little while you're gone?” The voice stopped her.

She took a quick look around the room. It really was a mess, and when even the offspring of the dust bunnies noticed.... “Please do.” She ran for the stairs before her mother could call again.


End file.
